Brave Louie stages solo art exhibition

BUDDING artist Louie Daley may be only nine but he’s already had his first art exhibition.

And the Mayor of Oldham was on hand to officially open the display of paintings, sketches and sculpture in Saddleworth.

Louie, from Greenfield, has tuberous sclerosis, which causes benign tumours to grow around his heart and brain and triggers epileptic fits. He also suffers from dyspraxia, which affects his ability to relate messages from the brain into actions.

But a series of after-school art classes and private tuition with Mossley-based Pink Aardvark Projects have boosted his confidence, as well as improving his fine-movement skills.

His art teacher, Julie Taylor, who owns Pink Aardvark, knew how impressed he was with important people who wear chains of office so she contacted the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Shoab Akhtar.

And he agreed to open Louie’s exhibition at the library room at the White Hart pub at Lydgate for the Grasscroft youngster.

The whole event was an early birthday surprise for Louie who will be 10 on July 30.

Julie, who set up her art, design and technology company when she gave up teaching to educate her own son at home, said: “For years Louie’s confidence and self-esteem have been knocked as he finds some tasks difficult to do and becomes distressed sometimes as he feels he is not the same as other children his age. I am particularly interested in, and have been working with, children who find certain elements of school difficult to access because of their disability, and I reinforce to those children that every child does matter.

“Art and design is a wonderful subject which allows everyone to find their own creativity.”

Louie is in mainstream school at St Anne’s, Lydgate, and his mother, Nicola Edwards, who is also an Oldham teacher, has seen the benefits of the art classes.

She said: “I recognised he had talent and wanted to do something to help his confidence grow. He has a really tough time at school and he recognises his failings.

“His class teacher has also seen the changes in Louie and encourages him to take his art into school to share his new knowledge and skills.”